Ronaldo’s United seek rebound against in-form Villarreal

London/Villarreal, Sep 28 (EFE).- Manchester United led by Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to find a way out of their current slump when they take on Villarreal in their second Champions League round-robin game.

The Red Devils lost their latest two games; against West Ham in the EFL Cup and then against Aston Villa in the Premier League in which Bruno Fernandes missed out on a last-minute penalty.

In the 2020-2021 Europa League final rematch, which the English team lost on a penalty shootout, United will aim to get back on track after their shock 2-1 defeat to Young Boys on their Champions League opener.

“It’s still not a must-win game but it’s a very important game,” United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær said during a press conference on the eve of the game.

“The focus is on three points, we’ve been looking at Villarreal again, looking at what we can do better and how we can improve from the weekend of course,” he added.

The English team will have to do without defender Harry Maguire, who was replaced during Saturday’s defeat to Aston Villa due to a calf issue.

On the other end of the field, Villarreal will hope to extend their good run that included a big win over Elche and their scoreless draw against LaLiga powerhouse Real Madrid.

“It is a match against the favorite of the group, against one of the greatest in the world and with great pride we go to the Theater of Dreams,” Villarreal coach Unai Emery said ahead of their away game.

“Now they already know us and we have won a final. We also know them and there are new players. Everything that makes it a different game,” Emery added.

Injured Gerard Moreno, Dani Raba and Samu Chukwueze will continue to be sidelined as will Francis Coquelin, who was expelled in their 2-2 draw against Atalanta in their CL opener. EFE